Azernews.Az

By Mirsaid Ibrahimzade

Statistics on the catch of fish and other aquatic biological resources has been published in Azerbaijan.

In conformity with the rules for the use of fish and other aquatic biological resources, in 2018, 1614.1 tons of fish were caught in the country (the quota allocated to 194 legal entities and individuals in 2018 amounted to 1,707.1 tons).

Compared with 2017, 67.3 percent more fish was caught. As many as 1072.9 tons of sprat, 112.4 tons of cisco, 85.4 tons of mullet, 82.3 tons of herring, 69.4 tons of vobla, 54.7 tons of bream, 48.2 tons of carp, 30.7 tons of crucian carp, 21.2 tons of pike perch, 13.6 tons of shamayki, 5 tons of catfish, 3.1 tons of asp, 15.2 tons of other fish species were caught.

Last year, fishermen paid for the quota of 84,800 manats.

Fishery is considered one of the important industries in Azerbaijan. Factories for the use of fish stocks of the Caspian Sea and the Kura River operate in Mingachevir, Hajigabul, Khili, Lenkoran, and the Absheron economic region. The main enterprises for the processing of fish products are the fish factory in Hudat, in the village of Z.Tagiyev in Khovsan. There are fish breeding factories in the country, most of which are located in the Neftchala district.

However, taking into account the threat of depletion of biological resources and poaching, it is necessary to develop aquaculture in the Caspian regions of Azerbaijan and involve the population in a new activity.

As an example, 90 percent of the world stock of sturgeon is concentrated in the Caspian Sea. But population of sturgeon drastically dropped due to overfishing both in rivers and in the sea. The future of valuable stocks depends on the effectiveness of measures to ensure natural and artificial reproduction, as well as to combat illegal fishing in the Caspian basin and trade in poaching products.

At the end of 2018, the delegations of all Caspian countries gathered in Baku to participate in the second meeting of the Commission on conservation, rational use of aquatic bioresources of the Caspian sea and management of joint reserves. One of the outcomes of the meeting was the decision to extend the ban on commercial fishing of sturgeon species in the Caspian sea until the end of 2019 and the development of general recommendations for the restoration of its population.

At the same time, a joint meeting of working groups on science and aquaculture was held, during which such documents as the Program of scientific and technical cooperation and interaction in the field of molecular genetic labeling of sturgeon reproduced at fish farms, the Program of the all-Caspian trawl-acoustic survey of sturgeon were discussed.

Issues such as the scientific approach to determining the period of prohibition of commercial sturgeon fishing and ways to overcome the shortage of producers for artificial sturgeon breeding were also raised.

The Commission on conservation, rational use of aquatic biological resources of the Caspian sea and management of joint reserves was established in accordance with the agreement, which was signed by the five countries in Astrakhan in September 2014. The body coordinates activities on conservation, reproduction, rational use of shared biological resources, annually determines the total allowable catches and distribute national quotas.

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